Maintenance

Once Around the Yard

Bruce Hudson, director of corporate maintenance at Heartland Express, has a heart when it comes to the Iowa-based truckload and logistics company’s drivers, who must spend nights on the road. So he’s come up with changes to a tractor’s electrical system that will benefit them during off-duty hours.

Common sense suggests that if a trailer’s doors are open, its refrigeration unit ought to be shut down. But many customers disagree, thinking the products will be better protected if cooled air continues to circulate as freight is being unloaded.

Over the Christmas holidays, the Salvation Army’s bell ringers raise money to help fund its disaster and human-relief efforts. But considerable dollars also come from its daily pick-ups of donated household and office goods that are delivered to warehouses for sorting and refurbishment. These items are then resold in its Family Stores. For this, SA employs a fleet of medium-duty trucks.